U.S. Open golf ratings take a tumble

In the first major golf championship since 1994 that had neither Tiger Woods nor Phil Mickelson in the field, the U.S. Open managed only a 3.6 overnight Nielsen rating for its final round Sunday on Fox, the event’s second-lowest on record.

The rating for Brooks Koepka’s victory was 5 percent lower than last year (3.8) for Dustin Johnson’s first major victory. Only the 2014 Open, an eight-stroke victory by Martin Kaymer on NBC, rated lower (3.3).

Fox’s best rating in its three U.S. Open final round telecasts to date remains its inaugural year in 2015, when Jordan Spieth edged Johnson and Louis Oosthuizen (4.8) at Chambers Bay. That telecast benefited from a West Coast venue, allowing coverage to run until 10:45 p.m. ET.